


Playing House

by Thette



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Aliens, Children, Episode: s03e04 Phone Home, Episode: s04e16 Hey World!, F/M, Fluff, Mythical Beings & Creatures, No Plot/Plotless, Playing House, Pre-Relationship, can be read as platonic, children pretending to be married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 15:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20099272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thette/pseuds/Thette
Summary: Ray and Zari watch over their younger selves, and the creatures they take care of.That's it, that's the fic.





	Playing House

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Scorpio_Karma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scorpio_Karma/gifts).

> Written for the DC CW Rarepair Swap, for Scorpio_Karma. Their prompt was "Ray/Zari, Child!Ray and Child!Zari take care of the mythical creature of your choosing together."

"I don't know if this is a good idea," Ray said, watching his younger self cautiously circle young Zari. 

"It's the only one we've got," Sara sighed. The rogue Time Agents are after you two, and they think you're 'polluting' the timeline."

"Bah," Mick interrupted. "They're no rogues. We were Rogues."

"Still don't understand that logic," Zari said, chewing on one of Cisco's Red Vines. ("Thief!" he had accused her the first time she stole a bag, The next time they were in Central City, after her amazing hacking skillz had saved the day, he gave her a whole box. With a ribbon and a big bow, and everything.)

"Well, you took care of that dragon, and I took care of the baby Dominator. That's enough for them to think we need to be wiped from history, apparently," Ray said, sounding far too unaffected for someone who could face permanent erasure, in Zari's not so humble opinion. She made a humming noise, and went back to watching the children through the glass wall.

* * *

"I don't trust them," said Zari the younger, stroking Wuxtible's scaly back. The dragon swayed under her hands, making happy little noises.

"But they're adults!" Ray said, tickling Gumball's feet, making him breathe in short little wheezes, that may or may not have been laughter.

"Exactly!" she whispered frantically. "What kind of adults take you away from your family? Kidnappers!" She looked over her companion again. Tiny little arms and legs, looking like he didn't get enough to eat. Big, brown eyes in a large head, searching her for any answers. As if she knew anything! He was about her age, maybe a year or two younger, or maybe she was fooled by how small he was. Anyway, boys her age were smaller, too. She'd already started to grow, and her mom said she had a lot of growing to do in the next few years.

"We need to find our way back," she said, sounding a lot more determined than she was feeling.

* * *

"I know that face," Zari said. "I'm planning something. Well, not me, but other me." She made a vague hand gesture in the direction of her younger self.

She blew on her cup of tea and curled a foot up under her other knee. The others had left, and only she and Ray were still here, watching themselves. Or their other selves. One would think that two years of time travel had let her get used to seeing other versions of people, but it was still just as strange as it was the first time.

"Aww," Ray said. He sounded far too soft for her liking. "Were you making mischief a lot?"

"Who even says 'making mischief'?" Ray bloody Palmer, that's who. Who was currently beaming a big smile with lots of millionaire white teeth in her direction. She raised her eyebrow. "D'you think I'd be here if I didn't 'make mischief'?"

"Well, I am here, and I was a very good child."

"...apart from trying to raise an alien baby?"

"Apart from that," he said, and went back to watching the children.

* * *

There was no easy way out. She didn't want to give her plans away by walking around the room and touching the panels of the wall, but from where she sat, she couldn't see any convenient hatches or vents. Instead, she was forced to watch her fellow captive. Well, at least he was old enough to talk and not need help with the basics. Could have been worse. Could have been a toddler who needed changing diapers. Gross.

"Zari, look!" Ray started dancing, but it was really weird, just making lots of noise with his shoes. He hummed a boring song, something with lots of "Good morning" and Gumball slapped the floor, vaguely in the same tempo.

"You call that a dance? Look at this! Dance, Wuxtible, dance!" And he did, twirling and flapping his stumpy little wings, almost taking off.

"That is  _ awesome _ ," Ray said, slowing down his own dance to stare at her dragon.

* * *

When the adults came to bring them food (juice boxes and sandwiches, and she missed her mother's cooking so much), Zari was ready. She ran, faster than she'd ever run before. And she made it. She was out the door, but Wuxtible was left behind, and Ray hadn't even noticed yet. She slowed down, and big, strong arms caught her around the waist.

"My friend told me you were up to something, and she was right," said the man, chuckling as if this was a joke. 

Zari looked around, but there were no people here, other than her kidnappers. It would probably not do much good to yell, but she wanted to do it anyway.  _ "Stranger danger! Stranger danger!" _

He dropped her like she was burning. "No, no, it's not like that! We're protecting you. You and your lovely little dragon."

The woman who had brought them food, who looked so much like her aunts, had Wuxtible by the waist. "Get in, Zari, and the dragon will be just fine." Zari looked at her, trying her hardest to burn her with her eyes. The woman rolled her eyes in response. "Hey, kid. Some bad people want to kill the dragon, and they want to kill you, too. I'm just trying to give you, and the little runt over there---"

"Hey!" said the man.

"---a chance to survive. See it as a field trip. Go play with Ray. Have fun. I hope we can get you back home today, but tomorrow at the latest." The weariness in her voice made Zari listen. She didn't want Zari there, anymore than Zari wanted to be there. Well, she wasn't ready to forgive just yet, but she did go into the room of her own free will.

* * *

"Told you I was planning something," Zari said, slurping her cereals as loudly as possible, just to see if it annoyed him.

"You were strong, for your age."

"Don't tell me a nine year old girl nearly beat you?"

Ray huffed a little laugh instead of answering, and looked back at their charges. "What are they doing now?"

"Playing house, I think. I saw them playing at getting married just before you came back, and now Ray is putting their creatures to bed. I think he's the house spouse."

"Awww," Ray said again, leaning his chin on his hand. "Can't believe we got married."

"With a dragon as a flower girl and an alien officiating. Suits us," she said, bumping her shoulders against his. They were solid, comforting, and she couldn't resist leaning her head on him.

It was nice. Quiet. He was a good friend here, and a pretend husband behind the wall. Their relationship was multifaceted, and she liked it that way.

She jumped in surprise when Mick stomped in, interrupting their quiet reverie. The soggy remnants of her cereal landed all over Ray's lap, but he just stood up and tried to brush it off.

"Done with the wetwork," Mick grunted. "Dropping off the squirts next." He paused, looking at Zari and Ray. "You two are looking cozy," he said, with his own particular brand of sly suspicion.

Zari thanked God for her skintone, because if she'd been pale, she'd be blushing so hard right now. Her cheeks were burning, but it probably wasn't obvious to an observer. Probably. "It's not what it looks like," she said, and winced. The oldest line in history.

"We were… We were just…" Ray's babbling didn't make anything better.

Mick's laughter echoed in the corridors as he walked away, and Zari couldn't bear to look at Ray. The ship shook with a time jump, and they were thrown to the floor, Zari landing on top of Ray. His careful hands came down on her back, and she wasn't sure if he was trying to hold on or help her up.

"Oh, great." One thing she  _ was _ sure of was that she'd have to change clothes after this. "I'm all milky now."

"I wasn't the one who threw a bowl of milk into my lap," he said, defensively. She rested her head on his chest, chuckling, and could feel him relax his arms and hold her properly. His breath ghosted over her hair, in puffs of laughter.

"My bad," she mumbled, waiting for the ship to come to a stop.


End file.
